Chris Gotterup of Oklahoma (Oklahoma Athletics photo)
The top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners fired a 5-under 275 on Saturday to take over the pole position at the NCAA Men's Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Sooners enter the third round 25 strokes clear of the 54-hole cutline and 21 shots clear of the critical match-play cut that follows Monday's final stroke-play round.
"It was nice to play a golf course that was yielding some birdies," said OU head coach Ryan Hybl. "Outside of Chris (Gotterup), we didn't start out super phenomenal but we got some firepower started around the turn. On nine, 10, 11 and 12 we made quite a few birdies, with Patrick Welch and Drew Goodman leading the charge there. I'm excited about where all of our guys are at, especially with Logan (McAllister) and Chris there on the back end."
Vanderbilt shot a second-straight 282 and are 4-over-par for the tournament, two shots behind leader Oklahoma going into Sunday.
At 25-over, Stanford, Oregon and Florida currently sit on the top-15 cutline after the second round.
"I feel like our guys haven't played their best yet," Stanford head coach Conrad Ray said. "We have one step at a time and it would be great to sneak into that Top 15 and see what happens tomorrow. I'm going to watch the scores and evaluate everything. We don't need to be heroic, but you have to play good golf. You can't hurt yourself with big numbers."
Vanderbilt's Cole Sherwood picked up three birdies on his inward nine en route to a second round 67 to move into the individual lead. In hot pursuit are Aman Gupta of Oklahoma State (-2), Sherwood's Vandy teammate Gordon Sargent (-2) and Oklahoma's Chris Gotterup and Jackson Suber, Ole Miss, who are tied for fourth at -1.
The top 15 teams will advance after Sunday’s third round, and the top teams after Monday’s fourth round will qualify for match play.
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At a Glance: Day Two at Grayhawk
Top Eight Teams as of Today: 1. Oklahoma (+2); 2. Vanderbilt (+4); 3. Oklahoma State (+6); 4. North Carolina (+9); 5. Pepperdine (+16); 6. Arkansas (+20); 7. Auburn (+21); t-8. Texas (+22); Arizona State.
The Next Seven: t-10. Georgia (+23); Kansas; t-12. Ole Miss (+24); Texas Tech; t-14. Stanford (+25); Oregon; Florida.
Top Five Individuals:1. Cole Sherwood, Vanderbilt (-3); t-2. Aman Gupta, Oklahoma State (-2); Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt; t-4. Chris Gotterup, Oklahoma (-1); Jackson Suber, Ole Miss.
ABOUT THE
NCAA Division I Championship
The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship is the pinnacle of collegiate golf in the United States, held annually in late May or early June. The event brings together the nation's top 30 teams and six individual qualifiers, all of whom have advanced through a grueling regional qualifying process. Conference champions earn automatic regional berths, while a selection committee fills the remaining spots.
The championship begins with 72 holes of stroke play to determine the individual national champion. Following this, the top 8 teams advance to a match play bracket to compete for the team title — a format introduced in 2009 that added a dramatic head-to-head element to the final days of competition.
Some of the most decorated names in professional golf have competed in this event, including Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson. Winning the individual title now includes an added bonus: the champion receives an invitation to the following year’s Masters Tournament, provided they maintain amateur status.
The tournament dates back to 1897, originally run by the National Intercollegiate Golf Association. The NCAA began officially sponsoring the event in 1939. Over time, the championship has become not just a collegiate milestone, but also a launching pad for future PGA Tour stars.
After 72 holes of stroke play, the individual champion is crowned, and the low 8 teams advance to match play to determine the team champion.
View Complete Tournament Information